Equally important as choosing your handset is your carrier. After all, what good is the latest handset when your coverage is poor? If you’re in the market for a new phone contract, below are things to consider when comparing mobile carrier options: Coverage Not all providers can offer the best coverage throughout UK. Depending on your location and other factors, you need to look for a provider that can offer you the best coverage for your area. To have a more accurate gauge of your carrier’s coverage with respect to your location, seek recommendations from your family, friends or neighbors. Plan offers The next thing to look at is the plan offers. This is the part where you look at the handset selection and the phone bundle options. If you already have a handset in mind, naturally you have to go with the carrier who carries said handset model. Also very important is to look for a phone bundle that offers the perfect combination of call, text and data allowances for your monthly needs. Data speed Calling and sending text messages are just two elements of what your phone plan can offer. The other element is your data allowance. If you’re someone who plans to use your phone for a lot of email checking, Internet browsing and video streaming then you’ll need to look for a carrier that offers excellent data speed for a seamless phone experience every time. Customer service Don’t forget about customer service. Considering that a typical mobile phone contract plan lasts 24 months, it makes perfect sense to opt for a carrier that is known...

While investors have quicker access to more information than ever today, no one can completely discount the need for a financial advisor. You may be able to buy or sell investments at a low cost than before but you are also faced with the possible complexity too many choices may present. Some investors who think they can do it on their own end up paying too much in investment fees. Others end up sabotaging their investment success because they go after the wrong investment goals. But then again, this is not saying that a financial advisor is imperative for investment success. There are just cases when enlisting the help of an expert can do wonders for your investment plans. Below are some things to consider if you’re thinking of whether or not to seek a financial advisor’s help. Investment Fees When you don’t know how much you pay for your investments then it might be best to seek expert advice as soon as you can. If you’ve ever said or heard other investors claim that they don’t pay for their investments, you’re in for a bad surprise. Because no, you actually pay for your investments. In fact, you may even be paying more than what you should. You pay not only for the cost of the investment but also related fees like administration and sometimes marketing expenses. Tax Refund If you’re constantly receiving tax refunds every year, a good financial advisor can help. Receiving refunds from your tax may be something you look forward to every year but this is actually not a good sign of financial planning in...

No matter the time and age, the secret to successful investing remains the same. In fact, there’s really no secret whatsoever. At the end of the day, it’s all about common sense. Follow the lead of successful investors and you’re bound to enjoy some amount of success if you stick with what worked for others. Below are six common habits successful investors have that you can adopt and incorporate in your investing strategies: Set short term and long term goals Like with anything worthwhile, you need a plan if you want to succeed as an investor. You need both short term and long term goals if you want to know where you’re going. When settling goals, it is very important to be as specific as you can be. For example, how much profit do you want to achieve in 3, 5 or 10 years’ time? Don’t just a lot. Set an amount you can use as your investment milestone. Avoid investment hypes and fads Just like there are fashion fads, there are also investment fads. These are investment strategies promoted by so called gurus because they worked now but necessarily sustainable in the long run. For example, some gurus may recommend going after investments that are high performing because they give you high profits at the moment. You go on to tweak your investment strategies based on some conditions. It may work for a while but again not necessarily in the long run. Understand the market’s volatility Whether you like it or not, there are going to be stock market crashes. These crises, in fact, are inevitable because no...

If you’re hooked to a phone contract that you haphazardly applied for, chances are very high that you may be paying more than what you need or what you’re using. Recent surveys back this claim citing that majority of mobile users in the UK are in fact spending billions of sterling pounds more on their phone bill than necessary. If you’re hoping to save more money, there’s no better way to do it than to optimize your phone bill. Even if you just cut your phone bill just by 10%, you’re bound to reap huge savings by the end of the year. To kick off this money-saving project, below are tips and tricks that should work: Assess your needs The first step to optimizing your phone bill is by assessing your phone service needs. Take out those old phone bills and start comparing your usage per month. Doing so will help you get a more accurate average of your typical usage. If you current plan matches your needs, good. Otherwise, you will need to consider switching to a new plan to save money. Switch to a new plan When switching to a new plan, you obviously need to look for one that matches your call, text and data needs. At the same time, it’s also important not to be hasty when implementing this step. Remember that traditional contract plans usually last 24 months. By getting out of your contract before it’s up, you may end up paying a hefty amount in fees and related charges. Make sure you check with your provider if downgrading or upgrading to a different...

When you apply for a phone contract and you have bad credit, chances are high that you’ll be turned down. This is because you are tagged as a high risk borrower because of your bad credit history. If you’ve been refused elsewhere, there are a few alternatives you may want to check out. While you’re still trying to boost you credit score, alternatives to phone contracts are your best bet. Here are alternatives you consider in the meantime: Pay As You Go (PAYG) Pay as you go or PAYG deals are the type of plan that lets you top up your phone with credit in advance. This means no fixed monthly fees to worry about. Instead you pay only for the phone services you intend to use at the moment. With PAYG, you’ll have more control of your phone bill since you can set the amount of top up you can afford. Once the credit is used up, however, you will be unable to make calls, send texts or browse the Internet on your mobile until you top up again. PAYG is recommended for light users who already owns a handset and who only need to use phone services occasionally. Sim Only Contracts Sim only contracts, on one hand, are plans that only offer customers a Sim card. It is a more affordable alternative for people with bad credit since there’s no handset included in the contract plan. This means the monthly fixed fee is significantly reduced compared to if you opt for a traditional phone contract deal. Most providers also offer Sim only contracts with shorter terms. Rather...

When it comes to mobile phone deals, pay monthly contracts come at the top as the best option for majority of mobile users in the UK. As opposed to other options like Sim only deals and pay as you go (PAYG), phone contracts offer a few advantages that make it more attractive for most users. If you’re thinking of getting a phone contract, below is a quick guide to ensure that you’re making the right decision: What is a phone contract? A traditional phone contract, as the name suggests, offers you a handset choice and a phone tariff. Phone contracts, in general, last for 24 months at a fixed monthly fee that will cover the cost of your phone and phone services. If you’re after the latest handset, for example, expect for your monthly fee to be higher than if you opt for a cheaper handset. The same is true if you opt for more generous allowances for your call, text and data services. What are advantages? Phone contracts are popular among subscribers for a number of advantages. At the top of the list is the free handset option. If you want to avail the latest handset, for instance, but don’t have the cash to buy the phone upfront, you can subsidize the cost with a phone contract. The phone contract lets you pay for it over a course of 24 months hence less xxxxxxxxx financially. Another advantage is the cheaper rates on call, text and data services. Granted that you chose the right phone tariff, you can expect to earn huge savings on your phone bill over time....